How To Get Free SSL And CDN For SEO
What is SEO and why do you need it
Firstly what is SEO? Search engine optimisation is what all this SEO hype is about. You see, when I first started on my website, the entire internet was making a huge fuss over a topic I had never heard of before. To be successful with your website, you need to make it search engine friendly. SSL (secure sockets layer) is just the authentication of data from one server to another server. Many people think that the “not secure” letters in the URL of a website mean that the site has a virus. It is not the case.
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What is CDN
Without CDN (Content Delivery Network) your website is put out throughout the world from only one server. If you are new and have not got more than a hundred page views a month this is fine. With CDN your website is sent out from different servers all across the globe making your website faster for users. It is definitely recommended for great SEO.
Where to get free SSL and CDN
Bluehost provides free SSL and CDN, so mine is free! If you are using another hosting provider that does not provide free SSL here is what you can do. At Cloudflare, you can get free SSL and CDN. There is no cost whatsoever. If you are using WordPress you must install a plunging called Really Simple SSL, the plugin is free. Sometimes WordPress will not allow the SSL certificate to propagate.
Really Simple SSL will force your website to have the SSL work. If you want to check whether or not your SSL has been activated by Cloudflare just type in https://yourdomainname.com into your search engine. For websites with the www search https://www.yourdomainname.com. If you see it come up with the little lock that means your site has SSL activated.
Make an account with Cloudflare
Cloudflare is extremely easy to make an account with, and they will send you the name servers for your website. Usually, your hosting provider will make the changes for you. Sadly some money-making hosting providers will ask you for an extra 60$ for changing your nameservers.
On Bluehost, it is free to change your nameservers, or upgrade to free SSL and CDN (I did change my nameservers via Bluehost for no cost at all! Hostgator will ask you for extra money too, but some hosting providers will make the change free. I hope your hosting provider can do it free.
How long does it take
When I upgrade to a free SSL by Cloudflare it took them about 24 hours to get it running. The maximum time is 48 hours.
The cons of Cloudflare
Possibly the worst problem with Cloudflare is their customer support system. Why? Well because the support system is almost non-existent. Unlike Bluehost which has a 24 hour chat support system that works beautifully. I just gave up trying to find a human for chat support and the robot that was speaking to me was simply annoying. Albeit I just wanted to know how long propagation of my SSL would take. I encountered no real issues with the site.
Apparently people have some trouble with the free CDN by Cloudflare. It is caused by the plugin made by them.
I had no trouble whatsoever with Cloudflare, and that is why I am writing about them. Presumably, the reason they have a terrible support system is that Cloudflare Like WordPress is entirely free and open-source software. WordPress has a lousy support system, but I will admit it is better than Cloudflare.
Things you have to look out for
When your SSL is activated you will have to update your URL at google analytics and google console.
Find out how fast your website pages load
For great SEO your page load time should be optimal. To find out how well or badly your site is doing use PageSpeed Insights by Google, it’s free. It is critical because your page load time should be at under 2 seconds.
WordPress plugins for optimal page loading time
The first plugin you should consider for a fast page loading time is Autoptimize. You will be able to hasten lazy load images, remove unnecessary CSS (cascading style sheet), and basically improve your overall site performance. It is a free plugin so why not try it out.
The second plugin that will be of great use for your site is Asset CleanUp: Page Speed Booster. The name said it all, but for all, you new non-techies like myself here is what this plugin will do for you. It will give you an option in your every post about what photographs you want to load faster, it will ask you about your contact form and so much more.
In case you are wondering contact form 7 always has an add-on code on your website pages when you only need it on one page. With this plugin like with most of them, you can go pro, but I use the free version, and it works wonderfully.
The plugin we all use but it is bad for SEO
I will just make a list of some common ones as I know most people on WordPress use these
- Beaver Builder
- Better WordPress Google XML Sitemaps
- Fuzzy SEO Booster
- Jetpack
- contact form 7
- Google XML Sitemaps
Yes this world is messed up. It is hard to find the perfect plugin, but not impossible. I still use Jetpack. For now, but if I find the next best thing that can replace it I will remove Jetpack from my site.
Jetpack replacement
Well, honestly, there is no replacement for Jetpack because it has many features wrapped in one plugin. If you want a natural alternative to try MonsterInsights as I have, it is really user friendly. Sadly, it is not as good as Jetpack. Although it is not an ideal replacement, MonsterInsights can be fully integrated with Google Analytics, making it really useful.
Elementor is junk
I know many people sing the praise of this plugin, but am in complete disagreement. Firstly if you are not acquainted with this plugin, it is a page builder accessory for WordPress. I use the WordPress page builder because it is easy to use and manoeuvre. Perhaps the pro version of Elementor has more functionality, but the free version is a waste of your time. Not only is it hard to understand, and it is a roadblock when it comes to page loading time. My advice keep Jetpack and delete Elementor as soon as possible.
My final thoughts
You can always find a way around your problem concerning your site. so look for it and fix it. SSL and CDN are just the beginning on your journey to webmaster success. I hope you found something useful in my post and until next time farewell.